Blake Griffin Says Clippers Aren’t Alpha Team In Los Angeles

With the 2014-15 season approaching, Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers will appear on the October issue of GQ Magazine. In an exclusive interview with the magazine, Griffin talks about numerous topics including the city of Los Angeles and the Lakers.

While the Lakers and Clippers are headed in different directions, Zach Baron asks the Clippers All-Star forward if his team is finally the alpha team in Los Angeles:

The Lakers had a disastrous off-season. Are the Clippers finally the alpha team in L.A.?

No, because for a lot of people, it’s about history. And nothing we can ever do will ever take away from their history. They’ve had unbelievable success as a franchise. And I think in this current day, we’re the better team. I do. But I mean, if you ask anybody that, they’re gonna say that, you know—so that’s not a real controversial statement.

While the Clippers have had the most recent success in the regular season and are considered a championship contender this season, they have not made it past the second round of the playoffs in their franchise history despite having Griffin and Chris Paul for the last three seasons.

There will continue to be discussions if this trend continues, but Los Angeles will remain a Lakers town and many of the current Clippers players have acknowledged that despite their winning ways in the regular season. While there are low expectations for the Lakers, the return of a healthy Kobe Bryant should make the team more competitive as they look to rebound from their worst season in franchise history.